Who painted the Chinese handscroll The Night Revels of Han Xizai?

Gu Hongzhong painted The Night Revels of Han Xizai, a famous Chinese handscroll traditionally attributed to him.

Gu Hongzhong was a court painter active in the Southern Tang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The scroll depicts scenes from the private evening activities of Han Xizai, a high-ranking official. Its episodes include music, dancing, guests, and domestic entertainment, arranged as a continuous narrative across a handscroll.

The work is valued for its detailed observation of clothing, interiors, gestures, instruments, and social behavior. Rather than presenting one static scene, the format guides the viewer through successive moments as the scroll is opened from right to left.

The surviving version is generally considered a later copy or adaptation of an original associated with Gu Hongzhong, so the attribution requires care. That distinction does not change the work’s importance in Chinese art history or its role as a major example of courtly figure painting.